The Health Nut Blog

No parent likes dealing with the possibility that their child may become sick, however, despite our best efforts, this sometimes happens. One sickness that is occurring more frequently in childhood is diabetes. Knowledge, as they say, is power and the more you know about diabetes, its causes, symptoms and treatment, the better you are able to care for a child that has the disease. Caring for the diabetic child is not just a family matter, since teachers and other caregivers also need to have information on what the child should eat and do to remain healthy.

Most children tend to have type I diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, although children are increasingly being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as well. Type I diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not work and does not produce any insulin. Insulin is needed to help break down sugars (glucose) in our body to help it work efficiently. When this breakdown of sugars does not happen, as in the case of type I diabetes, the sugar stays in the blood stream.

Because insulin is important in breaking down sugars in the body to use for energy, insulin has to be taken to control the illness. Therefore type I diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. Exercise and diet are also important helping to control this type of diabetes. Caring for the child with diabetes means that you will need to recognize the signs of the illness, as well as any resulting reactions that can occur. The main signs of diabetes in children are:

Breath smelling like fruit
Constant hunger
Pulse beating faster than normal
Headaches
Being weak and dizzy
Difficulty concentrating
Vision becoming foggy
Skin tending to be cold and moist
Experiencing seizures

Next, you should be able to identify when the child is in crisis, suffering either a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic episode, and you should know what to do help in either case. Hyperglycemia occurs when the sugar levels are too high. Rising sugar levels are generally a result of eating too much, not taking the correct amount of insulin, or not exercising enough. When a child is hyperglycemic, treatment by medical professionals is needed. A child suffering from high blood sugar will complain of the following:

Weakness
Extreme thirst
Needing to urinate frequently
Not seeing clearly
Not being hungry

With hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), the symptoms vary from child to child, but some of the typical signs include:

Clumsiness
Sudden mood changes
Sweating
Hunger
Seeming confused
Trembling
Headache
Tingling feeling around the mouth

The first course of action is to increase the child's sugar intake by giving them something sweet to drink, such as regular soda, fruit juice or glucose tablets. Once the child is feeling better, you should give them something more solid to eat. If the child is too weak to swallow or is unconscious, administer the recommended dosage of glucagon and call for immediate medical assistance. Glucagon is a medication given by injection to rapidly increase the level of glucose in the blood. It is normally the first course of treatment in severe hypoglycemia.

Diet is a major part of keeping the diabetic child healthy. The caregiver has the responsibility to ensure that the child eats what is recommended. It is also important to talk with the child and let them know that they will get really sick if they eat too many sweets or other foods that can pose a risk. It is also important to let others, such as teachers, know that a diabetic child may need to snack to boost their sugar and energy levels. The child with diabetes must also have regular meals.

Physical exertion from exercising or sports is important to the diabetic child. The child with diabetes can engage in all normal activities once they observe two basic rules: They should avoid playing just before their meal time and have a snack ready so that they can replace lost sugar. Physical activity burns sugar and reduces energy, so the snack will be necessary to balance sugar levels.

Most importantly, children should be taught how to test their blood sugar levels during the course of the day, once they are able to do soon their own. This is important so that they can take insulin or eat something as needed.

Although the diabetic child will need special monitoring, this does not have to pose any difficulties. Parents and guardians need to inform other care givers of the possible health triggers and what to do in the event that something goes wrong. Children should also be told what to do if their blood sugar levels fall or rise. Emergency numbers should also be kept in a convenient place so that help can be easily summoned.

To learn more go to Causes of Diabetes and at What is Diabetes

# posted by NeilG @ 12:37 PM